Daily news roundups

“We have to win”: Notes from Curtin’s presser, Meulensteen on Union job, NYRB previews, Hburg begins playoffs

Photo: Earl Gardner

Philadelphia Union

And so it begins.

On Saturday, the Union begin what is the most important week of games in its short history when they host New York Red Bulls in a game with huge implications in the Eastern Conference playoff race. On Tuesday they host Seattle Sounders in the final of the US Open Cup. Then on Saturday, Sept. 20, the Union host Houston in another vital Eastern Conference game.

Jim Curtin said in Thursday’s press conference (transcript and video of which you can see here at PSP) about the upcoming games, “It’s a challenge. Both games are important, we have to win both games.” He continued,

It’s tricky, but we’ll put two teams on the field that can get three points, you know, get wins. Our depth will be challenged because you never look ahead but we have a full week too with Houston, everyone forgets about that game coming. They’re all big. Every Eastern Conference game is huge right now; taking points from a division rival is a necessity at this point of the year. You can see how tight it is, you’re a win out of third place or out of the playoffs. It’s very tight, it’s going to come down to the wire.

Curtin also said the team has no injury issues at the moment.

Asked about whether Rais Mbolhi would be able to play against New York, Curtin said the goalkeeper will “available for selection” but, because he will not be back in Philadelphia until sometime late today , he will not be able to train with the team. Curtin added, “I like to have guys in with the team for training going into a game. So, you can read into that what you want.”

Asked if he thought Zac MacMath had earned the right to splay the US Open Cup final, particularly given his performance in the semifinal against Dallas, Curtin said, “I can tell you that Zac knows what the plan is going forward for that game…Mentally, for goalkeepers, they need to know where they stand and I’ve always let Zac know where he stood. We have a good relationship and it’s been a positive one, and you’re right, Zac was excellent getting us through this run, and big in Dallas, for sure.”

Given recent reports concerning the Union’s search for a permanent head coach, Curtin was asked about his own future with the club. He said, “They’ve told us there’s going to be a long-term commitment to myself and the current staff, so that is reassuring to have that in the back of your head, that that is something that is real and out there.” He continued,

The only other things you can control though is on the field. We’ve been a group now that, I preach in the locker room that we do our talking on the field, we do our talking on the field. For me to sit up and get too into the whole coaching thing would be contradictory to what I’m preaching to our players. I’m not a self-promoter. I’m not going to sit up here and do that. I’m not going to talk negatively about anyone else. I’m just going to do my job, and Red Bull is the focus. We’re going to go in and get three points against Red Bull, that’s the goal, and then the Open Cup final, the biggest game in this club’s history. Two big things, and we’re focused on that. That’s the priority.

More on Curtin’s comments regarding the team’s search for a head coach at MLSsoccer.com and Delco Times

Renee Meulensteen tells Voetbal International (crappy Google translation here) that reports linking him to the Union are “a bit premature,” but adds, “I will not deny that something is up.”

Previews of Saturday’s game from PSP, InquirerDavid Murphy’s Union BlogMetro, Soccer AmericaGoal.com, and the Guardian (whose math skills seem to be off this week).

Brotherly Game says with a “team working as a unit and brimming with self-confidence” anything less than a win on Saturday will be a disappointment.

At Philly.com, Jonathan Tannenwald has a good read in which he talks to Curtin about the Union coach’s experience in the US Open Cup and what winning the final could mean for the team. Tannenwald notes in the article that as of Wednesday, only 12,000 tickets have been sold for the final. Shameful.

Seattle are happy they had last weekend off ahead of tonight’s league game and Tuesday’s Open Cup final.

Amobi Okugo and Sebastien Le Toux were on WMMR’s Preston and Steve Show on Thursday morning. Click here to listen to a podcast of their appearance.

You can see Zach Pfeffer’s tying goal in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw between the US U-20s and Argentina in the highlight video below. His goal comes around the 3:25 mark.

Class of 1996 Sun Valley grad Jon Conway had a 12 year career as a goalkeeper in MLS. Now he’s a newly minted assistant coach at Toronto FC under Greg Greg Vanney. At Delco Times, Matthew De George talks to Conway about getting his coaching debut last Wednesday at PPL Park, where his parents are season ticket holders. Conway says of the roles his contemporaries Jim Curtin and Chris Albright are playing at the club, “I think it’s great, especially for the Union to have guys that are from there — that know the culture of the city, that know the fans, that know the people, that know the club — that are now involved with the top professional team in the area. I think it makes complete sense in the area, and I think it’s the right way to go to instill a pride and instill an attitude that this is Philadelphia.”

Local

Harrisburg City Islanders will be in Orlando for Saturday’s USL PRO quarterfinal meeting with Orlando City (7:30 pm: NSCAA TV, YouTube).

Former Union man Morgan Langley said, “Coming into the playoffs, you want to make sure everybody’s ready to go. You want to make sure everybody’s healthy. No yellow card suspensions or anything like that. All the bullets are in the chamber coming into this one. We are ready to go. We are ready to play. I think everybody’s in form,” Langley continued. “It’s one thing to have everybody healthy, but you’re looking across at practices and [head coach Bill Becher] gonna have tough decisions to make.”

Previews from Penn Live, Harrisburg City IslandersOrlando City SC, USL PROMLSsoccer.comReckless Challenge, and Sunshine Soccer News.

Brotherly Game has five questions for Philadelphia Fury GM Graham Charters.

The University of Delaware men’s team remains undefeated with a 5-0-0 record after a 3-2 comeback win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night. On Tuesday, the team learned that it had entered the NSCAA national Top 25 for the first time in the program’s history, coming in at No. 25. Before Wednesday’s game, the NCAA rankings put the team at 21st in the country. At TopDrawerSoccer.com, the team is ranked 16th, while College Soccer News ranks the team 24th. More on the team from Delaware Online.

Temple heads to La Salle for a Philly Soccer Six matchup on Saturday. Kickoff at McCarthy Stadium is at 1 pm.

Ohio’s Hamilton County prosecutor is investigating a possible hazing incident involving the Summit Country Day boys’ soccer team during a recent trip to Philadelphia. Cincinnati police say they investigated but declined to pursue an investigation because the alleged incident happened in another jurisdiction. Philadelphia Police say no report of a crime was filed in Philadelphia so they are not investigating.

MLS

SI reports that Don Garber signed a new five-year contract in January to remain as commissioner of MLS. The report also says that Garber, who recently underwent surgery for prostate cancer, is now cancer free.

Seattle Sounders are close to launching their own USL PRO team.

Reuters on Sacramento’s MLS aspirations.

US

The USWNT is preparing for the friendlies against Mexico. on Saturday (6:30 pm: ussoccer.com) and Thursday (7 pm: ESPN2, Watch ESPN). More on the games here and here.

SI notes that in the Q&A on the US Soccer website with Jurgen Klinsmann we linked to in Thursday’s roundup, the US coach said he plans to bring in MLS players for the October friendlies against Ecuador and Honduras.

Forbes on the endorsement bonanza that Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore have enjoyed as a result of the World Cup.

Elsewhere

Reuters reports, “U.S. private investment company Cain Hoy Enterprises said on Friday it was considering making a takeover offer for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.”

The AP reports, “FIFA vice president Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein wants ‘real candidates’ — focused on policy not personality — to run world football after Sepp Blatter leaves.”

Barcelona will wear the colors of the Catalonia flag for the first time at home since the club was founded in 1899 when they play Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. Thursday was the National Day of Catalonia.

The BBC reports, “Algerian club JS Kabylie have been banned from playing at home for the 2014-2015 season following the death of Cameroonian Albert Ebosse last month. Fans of Kabylie are also banned from attending any matches – home and away – until the start of the year.”

The Guardian reports, “The Russian FA is considering buying national team players out of their club contracts in the season before the 2018 World Cup to guarantee they are ready to compete.” You will recall that the US Soccer Federation did something similar in the leadup to the 1994 World Cup.

Reuters reports, “Footballers have been warned by the world players’ union (FIFPro) to beware of false agents who ask to be paid up front and then disappear with the money.”

23 Comments

  1. I love this site but i think that “Shameful” is a bit harsh. I’m sure there are lots of folks who would love to be able to go to the USOC match Tuesday night but can’t because… it’s on a Tuesday night. Factor in jobs, kids, traffic, the commute to and from Chester- all of those things play in to whether or not someone can realistically go to a soccer game, regardless of importance, on a weeknight. I’LL be there but only because i am single, don’t have kids and I can take the next morning off of work to recover (otherwise i’ll be getting up for work at 5 after getting to bed at around midnight- no thanks!). I pushed a co-worker here to go to the match and his kid who plays academy soccer really wants to go but it’s a weeknight and that’s out of the question. Not sure what can be done about it. It is what it is…

    • I think 12,000 is pretty much the core group that wants to come out for the game not the “event” or the food or cause it’s a social occasion. Isn’t 12,000 pretty much the season ticket holder number? It is what it is. It would be nice if it were a larger number, but it’s not. And it’s a school night, making it tough for children to go (my son is not going).

      • Really the shameful part is that MLS can’t take a weekend off and have the game as a stand alone with network TV coverage, sort of like there are no other Premier League games the weekend of the FA Cup final. Yes, that’s at the end of the season and MLS has playoffs then, but why not make the 3rd weekend in September US Open Cup Final weekend? If/when MLS gets to an even number of teams, they might be able to implement an idea like this (and take the international weekends off) since they’ll be able to consolidate the schedule.

      • Sunday before Labor Day should be Open Cup Day. The day before is the start of college football, the day after is a day off for a lot of people – especially kids – and it’s the last weekend before the NFL starts so take a weekend off from league play and put the game on ESPN or NBCSN. If you’re an MLS fan, and that’s the only game on, chances are more people will tune in.

      • The only thing shameful about the whole deal is I cannot watch it on TV- whether live or on DVR at 01:00. And when I say shameful what I really mean to say is flat #uc@ing shameful.

      • Agree 100%

    • It is shameful that Clubs, such as the Academy, keep on practicing that night. The players would learn a lot more by attending the game with their coach! You are not the first one to mention the practice clash!

    • james Lockerbie says:

      You hit the point perfectly. I really wanted to take my nephews and son to Tuesday night’s game but their mothers would kill me. So my uncle and aunt get to go. I am very lucky to have Tuesday night off. And 12,000 sounds a lot better then the attendance at the earlier stages of the tournament.

    • Hey, Sak: You’re not going to get a big walk up gate. The game is a bonus. GIVE THE TIX AWAY!! Get butts in seats! Make new fans!!

      • If they gave it away none if the season tix holders would go. I’m glad they made a real, visual push to get people to go. Even discounted.

        Even at $10 The semifinal was shameful. Where was everyone?

    • I’m not going to say shamefull. But I’m flying in from Boston (was a season ticket holder till this year when we moved for work) that afternoon then flying home that night. And still going to work Wednesday morning (at 5). More people should be able to make it, but those of us going will just have to be louder.

  2. That highlights video could have been Argentinian which may explain why the vast majority of the highlights were Argentina’s… or the U.S. team was extremely lucky to walk away with a 1-1 draw. Right place right time for Pfeffer…

    In other news… How do the rest of you feel about Meulensteen? I can’t say I know enough about him other than he was an assistant with Sir Alex for a bunch of years and didn’t do so well with half a season with the Spurs…

    • Fulham not Spurs, and the supporters seemed to think he did OK but he arrived too late to save a sinking ship. Earlier he coached Anzhi for about twenty minutes but then that team blew up in some sort of a gasoline explosion 😉

      • Eli Pearlman-Storch says:

        Same with Brondby in Denmark. He’s arrived to take over three different teams in such horrendous shape, no coach could have pulled them out of the fire.

    • There isn’t much to go on other than he was under Sir Alex Ferguson. As others have mentioned he walked into nightmare situations at each of his previous manager positions. I don’t feel you can say he’s good or bad based on that. My hesitation with him is his lack of experience with MLS. I am concerned that he will not be able to adapt and will draw upon European principles, values, whatever and it will not be received well. Those are just my concerns, but if he’s supported well enough by his technical staff and the FO those concerns could be negated.
      .
      Curtin seems to be the hometown favorite IMO. I think i’m a little partial to him for the turn around, being a local guy, and his league experience.

  3. How does promising a long term committment to the current staff affect the search for a new coach who might want to bring in their own staff?

  4. OneManWolfpack says:

    I’m curious to pick Rene’a brain regarding technical training. I think he’d be a real asset to this club at all levels in that regard. Not sure about him as a game day manager though. Curtain being around would surely help this situation.

    • Your point is an interesting one. You know that dude can flat teach to the technical tactical side of the game- if only because of his pedigree. Whether he is the proper player manager or people person we can argue about ad infinitum. I would take him over many of the other names bandied about. Once again I argue from the point of having JC as long term solution and a more ‘prestigious tutor’ as the shorter-midterm solution…
      .
      Funny though with each passing week I am more and more inclined to change my position and say what the hell… Hire JC as I rarely find myself questioning what he is doing.

  5. The Meulensteen talk was exciting when it first broke a long while back, but at this point, it doesn’t feel right. If Curtin is among the final candidates, as has been stated, what more can he demonstrate? His job interview is with the real live team he’d ultimately be responsible for, and it’s going really well. I feel like we’ve got our guy, and risk losing him by tucking him back in as an assistant under someone new to MLS altogher.

  6. I wonder if it would be a good idea to do what Man Utd is doing with Giggs. Would it be a terrible idea to bring in Meulensteen for say a three year contract, and tell him that there is some staff he simply has to keep. This allows Curtin to learn under Meulensteen who has worked with one of the best managers the game has to offer. Curtin clearly has the chops to make it work in this league, but it also allows him to grow and learn more about the game before he is just thrown to the fire.

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